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Topic: How many Boxs (Read 3078 times)

I understand the concept of when to put on supers etc. My question is say in the South. If im going to run Deep Brood boxes How many do I need to run? I am thinking let the bees fill up one then ad another deep brood box. When they fill it ad my honeys super.....What is the norm for you Southeren Bee Keepers located in hot climates? Is 2 deeps to much?

Also when summer is coming to an end and fall is upon us. Should you break the hive down to one brood box no supers on at all????

double deep brood chambers was the standard down here back in the day. before everybody was a pine farmer you could have those plus 4 to 6 mediums stacked up before the first pull. i'm just getting back into beekeeping but double deeps is my plan. i sent most of my hives into winter as single deeps or double 5 frame deeps because i split 2 hives and a 5 frame medium nuc into 8 ten frame deep hives by winter plus i hived a swarm. a lot of people on here are running all medium equipment. i ran a few hives that way between 1999 and 2003. my mind just keeps going back to what we did in the heyday of commercial beekeeping in dixie and i think it can be done again if a person is willing to spread out to find good habitat.

I find that most beeks in this area use a deep and a medium for brood, year round, and super as needed above that, if they are making honey. Two deeps if they are raising bees.

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Also when summer is coming to an end and fall is upon us. Should you break the hive down to one brood box no supers on at all????

I do know a lots of times a good Queen will lay up to 12-14 deep frames in New England

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

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I run all deeps and I don't use queen excluders so I just let them do there thing and they keep the brood in the 2 bottom deeps for the most part some times they go up in the 3rd one a little bit and I just switch out the frame with brood with a honey frame from below. The most deeps I have had stacked is 4{2 brood 2 honey} that was this past year my first year for me taking honey since I started in 09. Building my numbers and learning. Things are only getting easier as the years roll on. Can't wait till spring it's been a long cold one.

Moots

eight frame mediums= are they in a ten frame box or an eight frame box?

edward,They are in an eight frame box...This is what I run, all 8 frame mediums for everything. I think it's becoming somewhat of a popular trend, the theory being you don't have to encourage the bees to build out the end frames as much as in a 10 frame box, as well as your honey supers are still a little lighter to lift.

I like it a lot...then again, I'm new and don't have any experience with anything else... :-D

I know a commercial beek who runs double deeps all year, in eastern NC. Seems to work well for creating a large number of bees and making splits.

that's how we went into winter. you shut them down to the double deeps before the fall flows and they back filled the top deep and you only had to start feeding around now and that was to get the queens going. this was over 30 years ago and i think there was more for them to forage back then.

Moots

Do you have a spacer board when you go from 10 frames box to a eight frame box?

Not sure I understand exactly what you are asking....

I never made the transition, I started out with all 8 frame boxes. I guess if someone currently ran 10 frame mediums and wanted to switch over, your choice would be to swap out all your boxes, or place an 8 frame box atop a 10 frame box, with a board covering the difference...Is that what you mean? :?

Do you have a spacer board when you go from 10 frames box to a eight frame box?

Not sure I understand exactly what you are asking....I never made the transition, I started out with all 8 frame boxes. I guess if someone currently ran 10 frame mediums and wanted to switch over, your choice would be to swap out all your boxes, or place an 8 frame box atop a 10 frame box, with a board covering the difference...Is that what you mean? :?

I missed the "or" I thought they had ten frame boxes for brood and eight frame boxes on top for honey

>eight frame mediums= are they in a ten frame box or an eight frame box?I thought it was in the name. An eight frame box is an eight frame box. A ten frame box is a ten frame box... now I'm confused...You can mix them up if you like. Carl Killion ran ten frame brood chambers with eight frame supers on top and a one by three over the gap on the side..

I have 9 frames in a 10 frame honey box, this makes it easier to blow the bees out when harvesting honey, also deeper comb is easier/faster to uncap.